Prime Minister of Thailand

In any kingdom such as Thailand, royalty does not usually have direct power over the government.

The King is the anointed protector of national culture and symbol of unity, hope and progress throughout the land. It is he who appoints a Prime Minister from among the members of the lower house of parliament, to be the head of the government.

The current Prime Minister of Thailand is Thaksin Shinawatra. He is the 23rd Prime Minister of Thailand and he is of course purely Thai, being born in Chiengmai, Thailand on the 26th of July 1949, and practices Buddhism as a religion.

Thaksin Shinawatra started out as a police officer and is an expert in criminal justice.

He graduated from the Police Cadet Academy in Thailand in 1973 and moved on study in the United States in order to get Master and Doctorate degrees in Criminal Justice from Eastern Kentucky University and Sam Houston State University, respectively. He earned his doctorate degree in 1978.

He started as a member of the Royal Thai Police Department and was promoted a number of times until he left in 1987.

His last position on the force was Deputy Superintendent of the Policy and Planning Sub-division, General Staff Division, Metropolitan Police Bureau.

Upon his resignation, he put up his own business - Shinawatra Computer and Communications Group and stood as Chairman of its Board of Directors.

He also founded the THAICOM Foundation in 1993, which initiated a satellite education program for young children in remote areas. In 1994, he resigned as Chairman of Shinawatra Computer and Communications Group and received royal appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand, hence starting his political career.

He was again appointed as Deputy Prime Minister in charge of traffic and transportation in Bangkok a year later. In 1997, he became Deputy Prime Minister to then Prime Minister Chavalit Yongchaiyudh.

Throughout his career, Thaksin Shinawatra has been dedicated to public service and showed this by taking on numerous social roles since 1993.

He is at present Vice Chairman and Founder of the THAICOM Foundation, Chairman of the Advisory Communication of Pre-Cadet Class 10 & Police Cadet Class 26, Member of the Board of Directors of the Asian Study Institute, Chulalongkorn University, President of the Northerners' Association of Thailand, Honorary Chairman of the Northern Thai Association of Washington, D.C., U.S.A.

Some of his significant awards and recognitions are: 1992 ASEAN Businessman of the Year, 1993 Outstanding Telecom Man of the Year, the Outstanding Criminal Justice Alumnus Award from the Criminal Justice Center, Sam Houston State University in 1996, and in 1997 the Honorary Award from the Mass Media Photographer Association of Thailand (MPA) as the Outstanding Politician who has contributed significantly to the society.